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Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram has raised alarms about the national team’s fitness levels ahead of their upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh at home. Akram believes the team’s lackluster performance in recent major tournaments can be attributed to insufficient fitness.
Despite the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) efforts to boost fitness through intensive drills with the army, there has been no noticeable improvement. Criticism has intensified from both fans and pundits, particularly targeting players like wicketkeeper Azam Khan for their fitness levels.
On a recent web show, Wasim Akram addressed the persistent fitness issues plaguing the Pakistan cricket team. He pointed out that these problems have been ongoing for years and stressed that players have not been prioritizing their fitness adequately.
“I haven’t talked much about this yet, and I don’t have any inside news, but I knew about it two years ago – cricketers aren’t focusing enough on their fitness,” Akram said.
The former fast bowler noted that the fitness levels of the Pakistan cricket team fall short compared to other international sides. Akram highlighted that the team’s lack of fitness was particularly apparent during the T20 World Cup 2024.
“Now, during the World Cup, the whole world saw just how good the fitness of our cricket team truly was,” Akram added.
Pakistan had a lackluster performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where Babar Azam’s team was knocked out before the Super Eights stage, following defeats to the United States and India. Additionally, the team fell short of reaching the semi-finals in the 2023 ODI World Cup and faced a 0-3 whitewash in their Test series against Australia.
Wasim Akram contrasted his era with the present day in terms of fitness awareness. He noted that had he been playing today, he would have greatly benefited from the advanced fitness knowledge available now, something that was not prevalent during his career.
“If I was playing cricket today, I’d have a lot of knowledge about fitness, as it’s now common,” Akram further stated.
“During the time we played cricket, information about fitness wasn’t common. We didn’t know much, so we simply followed our seniors like Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. Whatever they did, we did exactly the same,” he concluded
Pakistan and Bangladesh are set to clash in a two-match Test series, which is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025 cycle. Notably, Pakistan failed to reach the finals in the first two editions of the championship.
The series will kick off with the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on August 21, and the second Test will be held at National Stadium in Karachi on August 30. Both teams are eager to secure crucial points for their standings in the ICC World Test Championship.
